Matt

I spent the next week incessantly calling Kayla to apologize, but every answer was met with either a click or a showcase of her colorful vocabulary. It wasn't until I followed her into the girls' restroom after the last school bell, did she finally hear me out.

She turned away from primping her hair in the mirror to stare at me. "Get out," she shrieked at me, hurrying over to shove me back through the entrance. "You can't be in here, asshole."

Clinging onto the frame, I blocked the opening with my body. "Kayla, please," I begged. "Just listen."

She let out a loud huff as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine. You have one minute."

Grasping her hands, I looked her in the eye. "Vanessa means nothing to me. We were only ever friends." Okay, so maybe it was half-true.

She scoffed. "If she was just a friend, then why did you say, 'I love you, Vanessa?' "

I shrugged. "I was so out of it; I didn't even know what was coming out of my mouth. Besides, I'm terrible with names. Just last week, I called Mr. Stevens Dad." Unfortunately, that was not a fib. The mishap was a factual core memory that would now randomly pop into my brain in the middle of a grocery store, well into my seventies and leave me cringing just the same as though it were fresh.

Kayla bit her lip as she studied me. I was certain she didn't believe a word I was telling her; however, I knew her pride would never allow her to admit that she was anybody's second choice. She had spent years yearning to win her parents' affections, and I doubt she had any desire to repeat the patten with her boyfriend.

She blew out her breath. "Fine," she muttered. "I guess I'll take you back."

"Cool," I replied, wrapping my arms around her and giving her a peck on the cheek. She was shallow and her interests certainly didn't align with mine, but she loved me and wasn't that all I ever really wanted?

Matt

"Alright, class," Mrs. Ayers announced, clapping her hands. "We've reached the point in the semester where I think I can finally trust you all with the Bunsen burners."

Hoots and hollers rang out throughout the Physics classroom as she cleared her throat. "Settle down. I appreciate your enthusiasm though. Let's hope you will all be as equally ecstatic about the heat transfer lab I have planned for you." She gestured at the groaning students. "Everyone, find a partner."

The hairs on the back of my neck prickled as I felt a pair of eyes land on me. "Nope," I said. "Find someone else."

"I'm your only option," the voice replied. I wrinkled my nose as a waft of cotton candy hit me in the face. "And unlike the experiments that you perform at home with your hand and a nudie magazine, this isn't something that can be done solo. So, suck it up, buttercup."

I swatted Addison's hand away as her fingers pinched my cheek. "I don't know why you're so desperate to be my partner, Addie. Lord knows you've never had a shortage of those."

She bopped me on the head with the packet Mrs. Ayers had handed out. "And how would you have any idea what the Lord knows? Where you're from, you only get to rub elbows with the Devil."

I got up to follow her over to one of the lab counters. "Well, that explains why you're here then."

She threw her head back and let out a loud laugh. "Ha! The only time you would ever be lucky enough for me to be in the same vicinity as you are, is in your dreams."

Taking a seat on one of the stools, I propped my chin in my hand and looked at her. "I think you mean nightmares because oh look, here you are. At school. Where I'm being forced to pair up with a partner. Does that sound like a dream to you?"

She smiled as she sat down beside me. "For once, I can agree with you, Matt. Us being together is definitely not the subject of any of my dreams."

I scowled at her, not finding her jokes quite so amusing anymore. "Funny, Addie. I get it. How terrible it would be to date me. The class reject." I grabbed the packet from her hands and pretended to focus on the instructions written, but it may as well have been hieroglyphics.

She furrowed her brows as she studied me. "I was just kidding around," she said softly.

"Yea, whatever. It doesn't matter anyways," I replied, staring at the blurred words in front of me. "Your opinion means shit to me." I glanced up at her. "We aren't friends."

A flash of hurt reflected in her deep green eyes before being quickly replaced by something darker. She snatched the packet from my hand. "Let's just get through the experiment and then you won't have to worry about me bothering you anymore."

"Sounds good to me," I answered, opening a drawer and rummaging through it for nothing in particular. I pulled out a flint lighter and watched sparks shoot from it as I flicked it. "Do you even understand any of that gibberish," I asked, nodding at the paperwork.

Sticking out her chin, she tucked a dark lock of hair behind her ear. "As a matter of fact, I do. Maybe you would too if you pried your tongue out of Kayla's throat long enough to pay attention."

"Oh, nice one," I scoffed lighting the Bunsen Burner with the flint. "She's not even in this class. You just sound dumb right now."

Addison wrestled the lighter from my hand. "I know playing with fire reminds you of your home back in Hell, but can you knock it off so we can get started on the lab? We aren't even supposed to be using the burner for this one."

Holding her gaze, I picked up a pencil and waved it through the flame. "Nah, I think I'm going to do what I want. We aren't friends so I don't have to be controlled by your bossiness anymore."

She threw her hands up in the air. "Fine, be a jerk. I don't care. You can ruin your grades all you want, but some of us actually desire to go places in life."

I slid off my chair, moving in on her until our noses were almost touching. She swallowed. "Is that what you think? That I don't give a damn about my future?" I grabbed the instruction packet from her fingers. "Let's do this then. In fact, you have a seat and let me run this whole damn thing. Prepare to be blown away, sweetheart."

I furrowed my brows at the first step. The only problem was understanding what the hell I was reading. "Easy. Hand me the heat lamp, please," I instructed holding out my palm.

Addison made no move to follow my orders, choosing to glare at me instead. "You think you're so funny, don't you?"

Shrugging, I spread my arms. "Do you suppose I have a bright future as a comedian, or would you like to stick with the whole beating me down spiel?"

"I was teasing-" She stopped suddenly as her eyes grew wide. Had I gone too far?

Gasping, she pointed to something beside me. "Matt! Matt," she yelled.

I turned my head to find out what had her in sudden hysterics and shrieked, yes shrieked as I realized the packet I had been holding had caught on fire from the Bunsen burner. "Shit," I shouted as I dropped the burning paper onto the counter.

It landed on a textbook, the flames instantly spreading to the pages within. We watched in horror as the material quickly became engulfed in a display of vibrant orange.

"What do we do," Addison asked, panic rising in her voice.

"Put water on it," I snapped, grabbing a bottle of clear liquid and dousing the fire with it.

Addison let out a blood curdling scream as the flames doubled in size. You would have thought it was her long, silky tresses that were being scorched instead of an Introduction to Physics. "Matt! You idiot! That wasn't water! That was hydrogen peroxide!"

We looked on helplessly as the fire lapped at the contents on the counter. She let out another shriek before hyperventilating into her hands. A dozen heads turned in our direction as a chorus of shouts and yells erupted from our classmates.

"It's fine," I announced holding my hands up. "I've got this under control." I snatched another bottle of liquid from the cabinet. Surely, this one is water.

Nope. Sparks shot out at me. I glanced down at the label. Rubbing alcohol.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh," Addison repeated, flapping her hands.

"Addie, shut up," I said through clenched teeth. "You're being dramatic."

Mrs. Ayers rushed over with the fire extinguisher as students started pushing past one another to stampede out of the classroom. Just then, the sprinklers came on and sent an icy cold spray of water all over us and the labs.

Addison let out a wail as her makeup began streaking down her face. "I'm going to kill you, Matt!"

Trying to stifle a laugh, I raised my hands above my head to shield my hair from the shower. "You look like a sad clown, racoon."

She glared at me before yanking me to her by the front of my shirt. "And you look like somebody who's face is about to get punched in."

Mrs. Ayers set down the extinguisher. "Let's go, kids," she said ushering us out of the classroom.

The student body watched from the parking lot as fire trucks pulled up in front of the school. I glanced over at Addison who stared stonily in front of her.

Her fake eyelashes were drooping off her eyelids, and her licorice locks frizzed into a tangle of waves. I shuddered to think how my own hair must look matted to my forehead.

"Damn it, Matt," Alex shouted at me as he suddenly appeared in front of my face. "You're so dumb. Thanks to you, my hair is all messed up. You know that's my thing. I ought to kick your ass for that." He shook his head at me in disgust. "I hope you realized you ruined a lot of ladies' day. I look like a wet dog now. You have deprived them from the beauty that is 'Lex B."

"Sorry," I muttered as he nudged past me, bumping my shoulder.

I lowered my gaze to the pavement. Well, wasn't this just typical me? Ruining everything.

As if on cue, a figure loomed over me. I looked up. Principal Samuals. "Addison. Matt. Can you please come with me?"

Reluctantly, we silently followed him as he led us back inside the school and into his office. He took a seat on his plush, leather chair before tapping his fingers together and then pressing them against his mouth.

Exhaling, he settled his sights on us. "In the twenty years I've been at this school," he began slowly. "I've never heard about such chaos breaking out in the lab. Do you have any idea the damage you two have caused to that classroom?"

Addison cried out as crocodile tears fell down her face. "Please, don't arrest us. I swear I'm not a criminal."

He shook his head. "You're lucky no one was injured. Or worse, the school didn't burn down."

Imagine. If I had burnt the school down, then perhaps my classmates would have hoisted me onto their shoulders and sung my praises as their hero instead of labeling me as a loser. I would have finally done something right in their eyes, for once.

Principal Powers leaned back in his chair as he leveled his gaze upon us. "According to Mrs. Ayers, there was no reason for the Bunsen burners to even be in use for that experiment. That tells me that one, if not both of you were goofing around in the lab. This is a serious offense."

Addison and I exchanged glances. She bit her lip to keep it from trembling.

Sighing, I looked back at the principal. "It was all my fault, sir. Addison had nothing to do with it. She was just trying to finish the assignment."

He wagged his finger at me as he spoke. "Matt, you went against the safety rules and put all your classmates in a very dangerous situation. I have no choice but to suspend you." He pulled out a file from his desk, his brows furrowing as he read over its contents.

Clearing his throat, he put his attention back on me. "Actually, this will be your fifth suspension this year. And due to the nature of this offense, I think we are going to have to consider expulsion."

Addison gasped. "It was me," she burst out.

Principal Powers glanced over at her, surprise washing across his face. "I beg your pardon?"

She sat up straight in her chair, gripping the armrests so tightly that her knuckles had begun to turn white. "I said it was me, sir. Matt's just covering. You see, I had read about a beauty hack that uses fire to singe off split ends and I wanted to try it-"

He held up his hand. "Alright, I've heard enough. Addison, you do realize that I'm going to have to suspend you for this?"

Gulping, she nodded her head. "I understand. I broke the rules."

He waved his hand at us. "Okay, you two are dismissed then."

Following Addison out of the room, I grabbed her arm and pulled her aside in the hallway. "Why did you take the blame?"

She gave me a onceover. "Because despite what you may think, we're friends." She didn't give me a chance to respond before hurrying off through the double doors.

I bit my lip as I watched her disappear. That old familiar vice grip clutched at my lungs, making it hard to breathe and tears sprang to my eyes. This time however, I wasn't choked up over what I had lost. I was emotional for what I had gained because for the first point in my life, I finally felt as though I had found someone who would be there for me no matter what.